Malformations of the urinary tract.

Between 1967 and 1977, 1500 children with malformations of the urinary tract were operated upon at the paediatric surgical department of the University of Tubingen. Ten children died in the early postoperative period or later on: Two patients died after operative correction of bladder extrophy following pneumonia and pyelonephritis and uraemia and urinary infection respectively. One child with a myelomeningocele had an ileal conduit performed and died two days after operation of peritonitis and urinary ascites. Two older children with reflux died in spite of successful ureteroneocystostomy, one following a cerebral haemorrhage and the other because of hypertension and uraemia. Five children with mechanical urinary obstruction died after discharge of uraemia and urinary infection. The following reasons for the deaths could be found: -- In two cases wrong indication for operation. -- In one case a technical fault at operation. -- In two cases the diagnosis was made too late. -- In five cases the wrong type of operation was used.